Chestnut Agouti

The AGOUTI FAMILY. A rabbit with a coat color that shows ring color (bands of different color on each hair shaft) across the back and lower sides and rump. It has
a much lighter marking pattern that involves the belly, underside of the tail, insides of the legs, tops of the feet, chest, inside of the ear on the back edge (flange), circles around the eyes, makings by the nostrils, jaw line, and triangle at the nape of the
neck. This color is the begining color for the species in the wild. The gray/brown
Agouti was color first with all rabbits colors being modifications to this basic color. It comes in all color phases Black called Chestnut Agouti in Lionheads, Blue called Opal, Chocolate called Chocolate Agouti (or sometimes called Cinnamon), Lilac called Lynx. It also comes in shaded versions. It is always dominant over Self and
Tan Pattern. Most breeders who specialize in Agouti Family colors say you will get
the best color if you breed Agouti to Agouti.

Chestnut Agouti

Opal

Chocolate Agouti

PHOTO
NEEDED

Lynx

The SHADED AGOUTI. Here the Agouti Gene is coupled with a Shaded gene. This combination creates the Chinchilla from Chestnut, the Squirrel from Opal, the the Chocolate or Lilac Chinchilla from the Chocolate Agouti or the Lynx. If you couple a Shaded Gene with an Agouti Gene in the Red Family (Golden Fawn) you will
get a Frosted Pearl.

Chinchilla (black)

Squirrel

PHOTO
NEEDED

Chocolate Chinchilla

Frosted Pearl

The RED or WIDE BAND FAMILY AGOUTI. Here the Agouti gene is coupled with the Small e Gene from the
Red Family. The Tortoise now will become a Golden Fawn or depending on modifiers present an Orange or a Red. In dilute the Agouti Blue Tortoise is sometimes called a Fawn (adding much to the confusion) or a Cream. The Red Family Agouti can be almost impossible to tell from the Red Family Otter at times (adding even more to the confusion). If you couple a shaded gene with an Agouti Gene in the Red Family (Golden Fawn) you will get a Frosted Pearl.

Cream or
Dilute Fawn

Golden Fawn

NOT A GOLDEN FAWN
this is a Fox

Frosted Pearl

Frosted Pearl

The FROSTED PEARL, Here is a very interesting Agouti color. The Frosted Pearl is a Red Family Agouti with a Shaded Gene or a Red Family Chinchilla. In England this color is often called a Chinchilla Tortoise or an Iron Gray. It is a rabbit whose coat
color has been modified from a Chestnut Agouti. First by the Red Gene which did the
best it could to block all black pigment from the coat. Second by the Shaded gene which worked to block all remaining deeper tones of brown from the coat. Leaving a very pale rabbit with lacing and a small amount of point color (since these are the areas where both the Red and Shaded Genes seem to have the most trouble controlling color). Most
Frosted Pearls are born very white and may stay lighter on the body until with age they develop more and more ticking across the top of the body

On to the
Red Wide Band
Family PAGE

Back to the
COLOR SECTION
OPENING PAGE